The energy system is undergoing a drastic change due to several simultaneous global development drivers including changes in the energy mix, increasing amount of electric vehicles and energy storages, emergence of new digital technologies and stricter requirements for electricity supply reliability. The role of prosumers and energy communities is one of the main open questions affecting the development paths towards smart and environmentally friendly energy system.

The main objective of ProCemPlus project was to study the formation of individual energy communities into broader business-oriented energy ecosystems through several research themes and concrete pilot-cases related to the development of energy communities, and to analyze the role of microgrids and energy communities in the future energy ecosystem.

The perspectives included in the research project were divided into four cross-disciplinary themes related to different microgrids and energy communities. The themes consisted of customers as part of the energy community, business models and regulation, digitalization and IT platforms, as well as energy resources and their management.

The aimed results of the research project can be summarized as follows:

1) A comprehensive view of the impact of different factors on the development and role of energy communities and microgrids in the future energy ecosystem.

2) Technical platforms and simulation environments and methods to study the functionality of the energy community and energy system.

3) Detailed results of pilot cases that represent different types of energy communities.

ProCemPlus has started in August 2019 and ended in autumn 2021. The public research project was carried out by the research groups from the units of Electrical Engineering, Computing, Automation Technology and Mechanical Engineering, and Industrial Engineering and Management of Tampere University, from VTT, and from the Tampere University of Applied Sciences. Company projects were running in parallel and in close collaboration with the public research project. The companies participating to the project were AGCO Power Oy, Comsel Oy, Elenia Oy, Huurre Oy, Lempäälän Energia Oy, Loiste Oy, MX Electrix Oy, Siemens Oy, Suomen yliopistokiinteistöt Oy, Tampereen Sähkölaitos Oy and Wapice Oy.